--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For my own part, I tend to find the…" description: "\"“For my own part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same exper..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/404/c-s-lewis-121_books_for-my-own-part-i-tend-to-find-the-doctr_307418.jpg" --- # For my own part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often… ![“For my own part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await others. I believe that many who find that ‘nothing happens’ when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find…” quote by C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/404/c-s-lewis-121_books_for-my-own-part-i-tend-to-find-the-doctr_307418.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/404/c-s-lewis-121_books_for-my-own-part-i-tend-to-find-the-doctr_307418.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/404/c-s-lewis-121_books_for-my-own-part-i-tend-to-find-the-doctr_307418.jpg) > ““For my own part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await others. I believe that many who find that ‘nothing happens’ when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand.”” [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Studying theology can be more spiritually rewarding than reading devotional material because it engages the mind and heart simultaneously. **In simple terms:** Theology can spark devotion more than simple prayers. Key Takeaway Try reading challenging theological works for deeper faith. Themes faith study spiritual growth Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - personal study - small group discussion - spiritual retreats - academic courses Key Concepts theology devotion intellectual engagement Questions to Reflect On - How does intellectual challenge affect your spiritual life? - Can rigorous study coexist with heartfelt devotion? A Different Perspective Some may find dense theology discouraging rather than uplifting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Devotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devotion/) [Devotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devotional/) [Doctrine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctrine/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Theology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theology/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [I believe that many who find that "nothing happens" when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-believe-that-many-who-find-that-nothing-happens-when-they-sit-down/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Simply performing devotional activities will not impart devotion to others but our consciousness should be absorbed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhanath-swami/simply-performing-devotional-activities-will-not-impart-devotion-to/) [Radhanath Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhanath-swami/) > [The book of the Psalms, which is the primary devotional literature of the whole Bible, is full of complaints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-augsburger/the-book-of-the-psalms-which-is-the-primary-devotional-literature-of/) [David Augsburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-augsburger/) > [“It’s not always easy to be meek, but it is worth it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/broadstreet-publishing-group-llc/it-s-not-always-easy-to-be-meek-but-it-is-worth-it/) Broadstreet Publishing Group LLC > [“Once again the Scriptures are a lodestar, a benchmark, the plumb line steadies us and steers us clear of what is happening in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mckenna/once-again-the-scriptures-are-a-lodestar-a-benchmark-the-plumb-line/) [Megan McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mckenna/) > [The spiritual commitment is to make every situation an object of devotional connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-spiritual-commitment-is-to-make-every-situation-an-object-of/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [“Please don’t preach at me—I feel bad enough already.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-corder/please-don-t-preach-at-me-i-feel-bad-enough-already/) [Shirley Corder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-corder/) > [Our devotional life with God is more like the planting of a garden. When we arise from sowing into the secret place, we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-sorge/our-devotional-life-with-god-is-more-like-the-planting-of-a-garden/) [Bob Sorge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-sorge/) > [“It isn’t violence that can break through our hearts. It isn’t force that binds us and keeps us together. Only tenderness has the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-soriano/it-isn-t-violence-that-can-break-through-our-hearts-it-isn-t-force/) [Jocelyn Soriano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-soriano/) > [I stretched out my hand towards the little bookshelf where I kept cookery and devotional books, the most comfortable bedside reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/i-stretched-out-my-hand-towards-the-little-bookshelf-where-i-kept/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [Our large trading cities bear to me very nearly the aspect of monastic establishments in which the roar of the mill-wheel and the crane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/our-large-trading-cities-bear-to-me-very-nearly-the-aspect-of/) [John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/) > [“We are crucified to the world, and the world must be as crucified to us. It esteems us as fools, let us esteem it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-francis-de-sales-de-sales/we-are-crucified-to-the-world-and-the-world-must-be-as-crucified-to/) Saint Francis De Sales De Sales > [“feel like if I can’t have a “good” quiet time—one with prayer, meditation, Bible reading, and a devotional reading—then why bother? So I let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathi-lipp/feel-like-if-i-can-t-have-a-good-quiet-time-one-with-prayer/) [Kathi Lipp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathi-lipp/) > [Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/nothing-teaches-us-about-the-preciousness-of-the-creator-as-much-as/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [“Love has a certain element of tenderness, which alone pierces through the heart and binds us more intimately than any force in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-soriano/love-has-a-certain-element-of-tenderness-which-alone-pierces-through/) [Jocelyn Soriano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-soriano/) ## More by C.S. Lewis > [“At the moment, then, of Man’s victory over Nature, we find the whole human race subjected to some individual men, and those individuals subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/at-the-moment-then-of-man-s-victory-over-nature-we-find-the-whole/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Isn’t it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified of the other?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a-fierce-left-and-a-fierce/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“All Hell is smaller than one pebble of your earthly world: but it is smaller than one atom of this world, the Real World.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/all-hell-is-smaller-than-one-pebble-of-your-earthly-world-but-it-is/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“the greatest service we can do to education today is to teach fewer subjects. No one has time to do more than a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-greatest-service-we-can-do-to-education-today-is-to-teach-fewer/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us very much worse. Of all bad men religious bad men are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-the-divine-call-does-not-make-us-better-it-will-make-us-very-much/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“The husband is the head of the wife just in so far as he is to her what Christ is to the Church -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-husband-is-the-head-of-the-wife-just-in-so-far-as-he-is-to-her/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“We use a most unfortunate idiom when we say, of a lustful man prowling the streets, that he "wants a woman". Strictly speaking, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/we-use-a-most-unfortunate-idiom-when-we-say-of-a-lustful-man-prowling/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Después de cada fracaso, pedid perdón, levantaos del suelo y volved a intentarlo. Muy a menudo, lo que Dios nos otorga primero no es…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/despu-s-de-cada-fracaso-pedid-perd-n-levantaos-del-suelo-y-volved-a/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Then two wonders happened at the same moment. One was that the voice was suddenly joined by other voices; more voices than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/then-two-wonders-happened-at-the-same-moment-one-was-that-the-voice/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/because-free-will-though-it-makes-evil-possible-is-also-the-only/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Laugh and fear not, creatures. Now that you are no longer dumb and witless, you need not always be grave. For jokes as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/laugh-and-fear-not-creatures-now-that-you-are-no-longer-dumb-and/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“When two humans have lived together for many years it usually happens that each has tones of voice and expressions of face which are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/when-two-humans-have-lived-together-for-many-years-it-usually-happens/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“He sees as well as you do that courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/he-sees-as-well-as-you-do-that-courage-is-not-simply-one-of-the/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“If you do not take the distinction between good and bad very seriously, then it is easy to say that anything you find in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-you-do-not-take-the-distinction-between-good-and-bad-very/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/now-the-whole-offer-which-christianity-makes-is-this-that-we-can-if/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) [Explore all 1,165 C.S. Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For my own part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await others. I believe that many who find that ‘nothing happens’ when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.S. Lewis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/for-my-own-part-i-tend-to-find-the-doctrinal-books-often-more-helpful/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/for-my-own-part-i-tend-to-find-the-doctrinal-books-often-more-helpful/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/404/c-s-lewis-121_books_for-my-own-part-i-tend-to-find-the-doctr_307418.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/404/c-s-lewis-121_books_for-my-own-part-i-tend-to-find-the-doctr_307418.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/404/c-s-lewis-121_books_for-my-own-part-i-tend-to-find-the-doctr_307418.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For my own part, I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional…” — C.S. Lewis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "C.S. Lewis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“For my own part, I tend...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/for-my-own-part-i-tend-to-find-the-doctrinal-books-often-more-helpful/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/for-my-own-part-i-tend-to-find-the-doctrinal-books-often-more-helpful/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```